Don Welsh leaving Choose Chicago

The head of Chicago's tourism bureau is leaving for a new role running a Washington, D.C.-based tourism advocacy group.

Don Welsh, who has been CEO of Choose Chicago since 2011, will become the new President and CEO of Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), a trade association for tourism bureaus around the world.

Welsh will continue running Choose Chicago through the end of March, according to board Chairman Desiree Rogers, who said in a statement that a national search for his replacement will begin immediately.

"We appreciate the foundation that Don has laid and are confident that we will continue the trajectory," Rogers said in the statement. "On behalf of the Choose Chicago Board of Directors, we wish Don the very best and are pleased to have such a forceful Chicago advocate in this national position."

"I am incredibly proud of what the Choose Chicago team and Chicago's visitor industry have accomplished in just five years," Welsh said in a statement. "Chicago is experiencing an unprecedented travel boom that promises to deliver immense economic benefits. While this is a bittersweet day for me and my family, I remain 100 percent confident in the Choose Chicago leadership team to move this industry forward. Opportunities such as this don't come along often, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity."

Welsh took over the city's tourism efforts in early 2011, just before the city combined its tourism office and convention and tourism bureau into one organization, Choose Chicago. His five-year contract was set to expire June 30.

BUDGET BATTLES

Welsh's departure comes during a time of upheaval at Choose Chicago. He oversaw dramatic budget and job cuts at the tourism office last year as a result of the state budget impasse. Welsh laid off roughly a quarter of the Choose Chicago staff in October while the state held hostage $7.2 million, which was finally released to the bureau last month. But the money was released only after Welsh clashed with Gov. Bruce Rauner—who hired him at Choose Chicago in 2011—over the state's delay in appropriating the statutorily mandated funding.

The change in leadership also comes as Chicago begins what is slated to be a down year for visits to the city because of a significant drop in convention bookings for this year. The city also is seeing an ongoing boom in hotel room supply, with thousands of new rooms slated to come online in the central business district over the next couple years. That will create a challenge for Choose Chicago, whose mission includes booking hotel room nights.

But visits to the city have jumped significantly during Welsh's tenure. Chicago is projected to have pulled in 51 million visitors last year, up from 42.4 million in 2011. Welsh's budget also nearly doubled during that time period to around $30 million this year, though he had said his office would need between $40 million and $50 million to reach Mayor Rahm Emanuel's goal of attracting 55 million visitors to the city by 2020.

“Don has been an incredible asset to the city over the past five years," Emanuel said in a statement. "I was always impressed by Don's creative thinking, his ability to manage complex conventions and events, and his easygoing style that made it a joy to work with him. We wish him the best on his new adventure.”

International tourism, meanwhile, has only inched up on Welsh's watch. Travelers from overseas fell 5 percent year over year in 2014 to 1.3 million people, according to the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. Chicago was one of only three of the top 20 most-visited U.S. cities by foreign travelers to see a decrease in international visits.

Choose Chicago projected late last year that total visitation to the city from foreign countries in 2015 would increase slightly to 1.33 million—less than the overseas tourist numbers the city saw in 2013 and 2012.